Car-coupling



(No Model.)

H. G. CLARK.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 493,481. Patented Mar. 14, 1893-.

I f/VVEWYOQK JCenr 6%. Czar/ 6 M @2724 /%J WITNESSES. dfiQW/ I UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY G. CLARK, OF HUB CITY, WVISOONSIN.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,481, dated March14, 1893.

Application filed December 9, 1892. Serial No.454=,640. (No model.)

To all whom. it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY G. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Hub City, in the coun ty of Richland and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part ofthis specifioation.

My invention relates to improvements in car couplers of that class knownas automatic couplers, in which the cars are coupled when they cometogether without the necessity of a brakeman or other party goingbetween the same to manipulate the coupling devices.

The object of the invention is to provide an automatic coupler whichshall possess superior advantage with respect to simplicity, economy andefficiency.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts hereinafter fully described and specifically pointed out in theclaim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of aportion of an ordinary box car with my improved coupling appliedthereto. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the draw bar and a portion of the car.Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section on the line w, m, Fig. 2. Fig. 4, is aperspective of the drawhead.

In the said drawings the reference numeral 1 designates the car and 2the draw bar. This draw bar is located underneath the car as usual. Ator near the center of this draw bar at one side is pivoted a forwardlyprojecting arm 2 formed at its free end into a hook 3, having its outerface beveled as shown at 4. The hooked portion of this arm projects somedistance beyond the end of the draw bar. The opposite side of the drawbar is formed with a recess 5, the rear wall of which is beveled orrounded, forming a guide-way to receive the end of the coupling hookwhen the cars come together, and guide the same into a recess 6, in rearof and aligned with the same. The front and rear walls of this recess 6are beveled or rounded as seen in Fig. 3.

Pivoted to the end of the car is a forwardly projecting arm 7, the frontor free end of which projects into the recess 6, and is provided with acord or chain 8, secured to a transverse shaft 9, journaled in bearingson the front of the car. A chain 10 is also secured to the shaft and thecoupling book. This shaft is to be provided with an operating crank orwheel, as is usual, with a ratchet wheel and pawl to prevent anybackward movement of the shaft, when desired. The chains may also becarried, to the top of the car if desired so as to suit different formsor descriptions of cars, but as such features form no part of myinvention they are not described nor illustrated herein, as they may beof any ordinary construction found suitable.

In practice the draw bars are connected with the cars, in such mannerthat the hook of the draw head of one car will be aligned with therecess 5 of the next adjoining car, as will be readily understood bythose skilled in the art.

The operation will be readily understood. When two cars come togetherthe coupling hooks will strike the beveled wall of the recess 5, of theopposite draw bar, and be elevated and guided into the recess 6, andengage with the beveled front wall thereof. It will be noted that thehooked end of the coupler rests upon the arm '7, so that when the sameis elevated by the chain and transverse shaft it will throw the hook outof the recess and thus uncouple the cars. It will also be noted that bymeans of the beveled front wall of recess 6, the arm 7 is prevented frombeing entirely withdrawn from said recess, so that when elevated thecoupling hook of the opposite car will rest thereon and be preventedfrom engaging in the recess when it is not desired to couple the cars.

For the purpose of preventing the coupling hook from falling below thedraw head, I provide the latter with a flange 12, having a groove 13, inwhich the shank of said hook rests when depressed. I also provide thedraw head on its upper face with a spring 14, the free end of which isformed with a flange 15, which abuts against the hook and serves tothrow it into engagement with the recess in the opposite draw head.

Having thus described my invention, what tending into said recess, thetransverse rock Iclaim is shaft and the chains connecting said shaft Ina car coupler the combination with a with the pivoted arm and couplinghook, sub- 15 draw bar having a flange on one side with a stantially asdescribed.

5 groove thereon a hook pivoted to one side In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as and provided at the opposite side with a myown I havehereunto affixed my signature guide-way having a beveled rear wall, andan in presence of two witnesses. aligned recess in rear thereof withbeveled 7 front and rear walls, and a spring with a HENRY CLARK x:flange at its free end abutting against the Witnesses:

shank of said hook, of the arm pivoted to the DANIEL SPRAGUE, front ofthe car and having its free end ex- JOHN E. MELLAM.

